A hockey puck slides across rough ice and gradually slows to a stop because of…
PHYSICS · Single correct · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Work Energy and Power · Work Energy and Power
Problem
A hockey puck slides across rough ice and gradually slows to a stop because of kinetic friction. Which of the following best explains why a potential-energy function cannot be assigned to the friction force?
(a) The magnitude of the friction force is negligibly small compared with other forces.
(b) The work done by friction depends on the specific path taken between two points.
(c) The friction force depends on the puck’s speed, so a potential energy would have to depend on velocity rather than position.
(d) The friction force violates Newton’s third law, so energy cannot be conserved.